Lakhs of engineering aspirants across the country are racing against the clock today as the Joint Seat Allocation Authority (JoSAA) closes its Round 4 seat acceptance fee payment window at 5:00 PM IST. Candidates who received a seat allotment in Round 4 of JoSAA 2026 counselling must complete their online fee payment before the deadline or risk forfeiting their allotted seat.
What Candidates Need to Do
Every candidate allotted a seat in Round 4 must complete four steps before the 5 PM cut-off:
- Log in to the official portal, josaa.nic.in, using their JEE Main application number or JEE Advanced registration number.
- Choose a response – Freeze, Float or Slide.
- Upload required documents for verification.
- Pay the seat acceptance fee and download the confirmed provisional allotment letter.
Fee Structure
- General / OBC-NCL / EWS candidates: ₹30,000
- SC / ST / PwD candidates: ₹15,000
Candidates who already paid the fee in an earlier round and were simply upgraded through Float or Slide generally do not need to pay again – though officials advise confirming this individually after logging in, as requirements can vary by case.
Why Today’s Deadline Matters
Round 4 carries extra significance this year: it is the last round in which candidates can select the Float or Slide option. Starting Round 5, candidates allotted a seat will only be able to accept it or exit – no further upgrades will be possible within JoSAA. This makes today’s decision especially consequential for students still hoping to move into a higher-preference institute or course.
Missing today’s deadline will lead to automatic cancellation of the Round 4 allotment, though candidates can still participate in Round 5.
Counselling Timeline So Far
JoSAA 2026 is conducting five rounds of counselling for admission to IITs, IISc Bangalore, NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs – a total of 138 participating institutes offering 67,323 seats, an increase over last year.
- Registration closed: June 11, 2026
- Round 1 allotment: June 13, 2026
- Round 2 allotment: June 30 – July 3, 2026 (reporting window)
- Round 3 allotment: July 6, 2026
- Round 4 allotment: July 10, 2026
- Round 4 fee payment & reporting deadline: July 13, 2026, 5:00 PM (today)
What’s Next
- Round 5 (final round for IITs/IISc): Seat allotment on July 16, 2026
- Round 5 fee payment deadline expected around July 20, 2026
- Any seats left vacant in the NIT+ system (NITs, IIITs, GFTIs) after Round 5 will move to CSAB Special Counselling, expected to begin around July 28, 2026
Advice for Candidates
Education counsellors are urging students not to wait until the last hour, given heavy portal traffic typically seen close to deadlines. Candidates who attempt payment before the deadline but face a technical failure can generally get the issue resolved the next working day.
Officials also note that ranks required for admission – the opening and closing ranks – tend to relax with each successive round as candidates upgrade, freeze, or exit, which could open up further opportunities in Round 5 for those still waiting.
